Police: Doctor fired gunshots in yard

FAIRVIEW TWP. - A township doctor is accused of drunkenly hassling customers at local businesses, threatening police and then opening fire in his Glenn Summit neighborhood, according to charges.

Police say Mark Anthony Gonsky, 60, of 59 Loop Road, was drunk when they found a shotgun in his car at Carone's Market at 101 S. Mountain Blvd. and that he later threatened "put a bullet" between an officer's eyes before he started shooting in his front yard, scaring neighbors.

Gonsky is an osteopathic physician and surgeon with a practice at 111 S. Mountain Blvd., according to the state Board of Medicine.

According to a complaint filed by Fairview Township Patrolman Dennis Monk, police were first dispatched to Good 2 Go at 36 S. Mountain Blvd. about 1:15 p.m. Feb. 24 to a report of a drunken man giving a customer a hard time as he asked about a cigarette.

The suspect had left in his Nissan 350 Z by the time police arrived.

About 15 minutes later, police were called to Loop and Lake roads for a complaint about Gonsky harassing a neighbor - but before Monk arrived he was dispatched to Carone's Market for a report of a drunken man bothering customers, according to the affidavit.

"Officers could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and he was yelling while speaking to officers," Monk wrote. "He stated he did not give anyone a hard time and was just shopping."

A manager, however, reported that he was hassling cashiers and employees wanted him removed from the premises. Police ordered Gonsky to leave, saying he could not drive because of his condition and offering to give him a ride home.

Gonsky refused to leave, however, growing irate and saying he would not accept a ride, Monk wrote. Continuing to yell, Gonsky was handcuffed and put into the back of Monk's vehicle.

Police parked Gonsky's Nissan in the lot and saw a Mossberg shotgun in the back, which they seized, Monk wrote. The officer then drove Gonsky home, warning him of his Miranda rights, to which Gonsky replied, "I know my (expletive) rights," the affidavit says.

Fairview Township Police Chief Joseph Intelicato said Tuesday that the original complaint of bothering customers did not require arresting Gonsky.

"The best thing to do is get him out of there and bring him home," he said.

But once at home, Gonsky continued to threaten police, saying, "I'm going to shoot you, Monk! No forget that, I'm just gonna wound you and make you suffer," according to Monk's affidavit. Gonsky also threatened to "put a bullet between your eyes" if Monk returned to the property, the affidavit says.

Despite the threats, Monk ordered Gonsky to go inside for the rest of the day and not drive or risk getting arrested, according to the complaint.

"This is what they deemed appropriate at the time," Intelicato said. "When his actions escalated â¦ they decided to take him into custody."

The officer then went across the street to 54 Loop Road to interview Aleta Connell, the neighbor who reported Gonsky. Connell reported that Gonsky had damaged her realtor's sign and that she has had problems with him before.

Her realtor, Christopher Jones, told police that Gonsky earlier had thrown an open-house sign into the woods. Jones reported confronting Gonsky, who turned and came at him in his vehicle, according to the complaint. Gonsky then peeled out, spattering Jones with road salt as he left.

After leaving the area, police were again summoned to the neighborhood - this time because Gonsky had fired several gunshots into the front yard from his side porch, Monk wrote. It wasn't immediately clear how much time had elapsed between the officer's leaving and the shots being fired.

Police called Gonsky on his cellphone and ordered him out. Gonsky exited the home and was arrested, at which point he told Monk to "get these cuffs off or I'm gonna kill you," according to the affidavit.

Gonsky was charged with reckless endangerment, making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct. Court records show that Magisterial District Judge Ronald W. Swank arraigned Gonsky on Feb. 24, setting his bail at $5,000.

Gonsky has since posted bond and has a preliminary hearing set for March 27, records show.

He did not return a message left at his office and there was no answer at his home Tuesday afternoon.

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2058

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.